My Week .......

This week, I .........

Helped Mr C. to give Daisy her first bath.

Did my first stint, in the Pop-up Shop!

Started a new project ..

 Strung some hessian on my large rug frame.

Sorted out my rug tool and some baskets of strips.

Don't have a design in mind. Just going to be led by the colours.

A bit like a large doodle!

 

Darned a hole in the sleeve, of a much loved, cardigan.
AND ......

 that was my week!

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Reasons to be cheerfull!

Lots of reasons to be cheerful, this week!

The main one being, that I am out of the doghouse.

Mainly due to Mr C's birthday present, that I blogged

about a couple of weeks ago.

He loved it!

He even said, at the celebratory meal, I prepared.

"It's only a car"!

Phew, that's a relief ...... heh,heh!

Then there's this ... we've been offered space in another

Pop-up shop, in Harrogate, for the next 7 weeks.

It was very short notice, so it's been all hands to the pump
and endless lists.

Ammonite

 Some of my work, that I will be including.

Tree of Life

As I was Walking

and one of Mr C's, paintings.

A Fleeting Moment

Lots of my knitwear too.

Set up day was yesterday and we open on Saturday.

*   *   *

Lastly, as I was sorting through my knitting patterns,

 I came upon this, vintage pattern.

To quote, from the inscription at the top.

'This charming jumper is knitted in the four colours which

Princess Elizabeth sponsored for British Industry to commemorate

the occasion of her wedding.'

I absolutely love it, the pattern, colours and it's history.

I have decided to make this my next knitting project.

I haven't sufficient funds for purchasing the wool yet

but if I am lucky enough to sell some of my work ......

Jamiesons of Shetland will be getting an order.

Fingers crossed!

Hope you have lots of reasons to be cheerful,

this Solstice weekend!

In the 'Doghouse'!

I have been having a terrible week, for reasons too

boring to mention here! 

It culminated, in me scratching the car, 

which has put me, in the doghouse with Mr C.

I haven't been in the right space for doing very much

in the creative department.

So I have decided this post will contain few words

and lots of photographic reminders of the week.

Daisy, with whom I am sharing the doghouse.

 Heh, heh!

 I'm in good company, don't you think!

Amarylis Lily, on the kitchen windowsill.

Unexpected sighting of baby bluebird, just fledged.

Wild roses in the hedgerow.

Elderflower.

The only crafty thing I've managed all week.

A crochet flower brooch.

Well, I think that's it for this post.

I'm gradually emerging from the black cloud, that's been 

following me around all week.

Have a sunny weekend, everyone!

Mr 'Cock-up' Comes to Call! ..... Oh, am I allowed to say that!

Glad to say that it's sunny again today, after a 

very miserable week here, weatherwise.

Thought I'd post a few photos to cheer myself 

and hopefully you, up!

Flowers from the garden, in my workroom.

Wildflowers around my neighbour's pond.

Two views, I snapped, while out walking.

The grasses blowing in the wind, were magical!

Can you spot Daisy, hiding !

* * * * *

Anyway, can't put it off any longer, have to

confess, that all did not go well in the workroom this week.

I was all set to post about finishing my crochet bunting.

Was congratulating myself and had taken 

the photos and everything.

 It was neatened, with all the ends sewn in.

 Ready for the next stage

When I spotted, THIS, on the floor!!

You can imagine my dismay!

The design, I have in mind, requires 11 triangles.

10 will DEFINITELY, not be enough.

What to do!

Nothing for it, I had to set to and fix it.

I undid one end of the long chain, after much fiddling, 

to try and find the ends. Attached the errant triangle,

with a row of double chain and finished the edging

to look like the rest. The trickiest bit was making

the chain at the end look good, as it was now 26 sts too short.

Pleased with the result. What do you think!

I'm ready to have fun with the design now.

I can smile at it now but so nearly 

 lost my sense of humour.

Still, to quote Kipling

"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

    And treat those two impostors just the same; " 

The words seem appropriate, for this D Day celebratory morning.

Hope you have lots of smiles this weekend!

Birthday on a Budget!

You may have noticed, from previous posts,

that things have been a little tight, financially, 

since our Gallery had to close last Autumn.

This has forced me to think more creatively,when it 

comes to presents, for friends and family.

It's Mr C's birthday in June.

What could I give him?

He has already been on the receiving end 

of my handknitted socks and fingerless mittens.

I had also made him a book, for Valentines Day.

Can you see the sock, poking out?

I put those inside the book.

I scratched my head for a bit and then had an idea!

He has a bag, that carries his essentials and goes everywhere with him.

It is, very, very, old and tatty and he has been

asking me, plaintively for ages, to make him a new one.

That involves sewing ... I don't do sewing! not 

conventionally, anyway.

It is a measure of the esteem, in which I hold him, 

that I am even considering it!!

What to make it out of. 

He had offered me some canvas, of which he has

an abundance, being an artist.

Obviously, that was out of the question, as it's a surprise.

I looked through my stash and found an offcut from

some curtains that we bought to keep out the draughts.

That would do the job, I thought, strong and very durable.

I set about cutting and sewing. 

Found some jazzy braid for the handles

and this is the result.

Reminds me of those old carpet bags.

Have you noticed that the design is upside down!
Wanted to make use of the hem of the curtain, as the top,

(if that makes sense), as it was so perfectly sewn.

Don't do conventional, I'm afraid. 

Just have to bind the seams and it will be finished.

Hope he likes it!

Finally, just got time to show you, a little

crochet project, I've started.

Bunting!

I am planning to attach, letters or shapes to each one.

The only worry is that I may run out of wool,

before I have made enough triangles.

Fingers crossed.

Hope the sun shines on you this weekend!

A little bit of this and a little bit of that!

"Into every life a little rain must fall" and it certainly

has, these last few days but earlier in the week .....

This was our garden, basking in the sunshine.

If you look very carefully, you can spot the blackbird

sitting on the top of the wooden sculpture.

The blackbirds are nesting in the climbing hydrangea,

round our kitchen window. He is patiently waiting for me 

to go inside, so he can feed his babies.
So I did!

My post this week, is for tying up a few loose ends.

My fairisle went to it's new home and I am delighted 

to say, it fits. One happy man!

I managed to repair the sock, I mentioned last week.

I carefully unravelled and cut out the chewed bit.

I then picked up the stitches at the top and bottom of the hole.

I still had some of the wool, I made the socks from. 

I knitted across the stitches on the first needle 

and using stocking stitch, I completed enough rows to cover the hole.

 At the end of each row, I knitted or purled, the last stitch

 together with the edge stitch of the hole.

It took a couple of goes before I was happy with it.

When I reached the other row of picked up stitches, 

I grafted them together.

Pleased with the result, I think!

I finished and sent off my crochet mandala to Yarndale

and.......

successfully bid on ebay for this little, vintage tool.

It's called the Handy Knitting and Crochet Guide and was

made in 1936. Not only does it keep a count the rows but 

 increases and decreases and how many times.

It also has a needle gauge down the side and a ruler 

at the bottom. 

A very useful addition to my knitting equipment. It will

make all those bits of paper, on which I usually record that

 information and have a tendency to lose, redundant.

Of course it's only as good as it's owner .... you have to remember

to move the little arrows, every time. Mmmmm!

All in all, a very productive week.

Enjoy this Bank Holiday Weekend, everyone!

Making and Remaking!

It's been a red letter day today!

Daisy our new furry friend, was let off the lead,

 for the first time and behaved perfectly.

She does have her mischievous side though but more of that later

I wanted to blog today about repairing old garments.

I recently discovered, a blogger by the name

of 'tomofholland', who has started something called,

 The Visible Mending Programme. He is trying to highlight

the art and craftmanship of clothes repair and wearing a 

beautiful darn, as a badge of honour.

This immediately struck a chord with me, 

as my ethos is, 'lost and found, recycle and renew'.

In the spirit of this, I decided to tackle a favourite 

sweater that I had bought in a Brighton charity shop,

on a visit to my sons. 

It is made from pure wool and is so comfy, I was

reluctant to part with it for a hole in the sleeve.

I must admit that I didn't darn the hole, I used crochet!

I found a very fine crochet hook 2.5mm and some darning

wool, and chained around the hole. I then, crocheted a row of

double crochet, decreasing every other stitch. 

I repeated this row until the hole was filled and there were no stitches left.

It has given, my jumper new life and a new story to tell.

I will wear it with pride.

On the same theme but using  a different method.

I blogged a while ago about making a new version of 

this sweater, that I loved but had had it's day.

I decided to give it a face lift, instead of consigning it to the scrapheap.

I sewed up the seams and bound the cuffs, with material.

I was given some bits of clamshell patchwork, which I think was going to

be a tea cosy. I loved the colours, which would be perfect for my project.

 I sewed the large block, to the back of the sweater

and individual pieces to mask the holes in the front.

I'm pleased with the result and have been wearing it, all week.

It reminded me of the way clothes were repurposed and remade,

 during World War 2. I think it is something to be embraced in our

throw away culture!

Everything these days seems to have built in obsolescence.

If this carries on, we will be drowning in waste.

Okay, getting off my soapbox now!

Oh I nearly forgot.......

This was Daisy's little naughtiness.

This is Mr C's hand knitted sock

after she had chewed it. 

Guess what I'll be doing this weekend.

Hope it's not a lost cause!